Golf Diet for Champions

Competition is the protein of the improvement diet, providing essential elements for building and sustaining strength. As with any diet, balance is advised. Practice and coaching, study and play are essential for gaining golf competence as well. If our goal is to develop the confidence and consistency that becomes second nature under pressure, then we must routinely submit ourselves to the particular pressures of competition.

Find a competition that intensifies the pressures on your mind. Any sort of pressure might work. For example, I might feel a heightened sense of tension, just because I have put a lot of money on the game. The risk of losing money, creates the feelings of anxiety. I might be more distracted if I am playing with significantly better players, my self image or status in others' eyes now being at risk. Perhaps my goal for the year is to win the Club Championship, then entering this tournament will most certainly invite more pressure. In a tournament situation, all my dedication to improvement will be exposed as either successful or a failure, as I subject my skills to the test.

Competitions are particularly useful because they exist outside of our control. Most of our practice routines comply to our needs and comforts. Routines, by nature, become safe and manageable, so tournaments will require that we extend ourselves outside of our comfort zone. In doing so, we must rely on the skills that have matured and integrated themselves, emotionally and physically. Under pressure, executing these skills deepens our trust and confidence. Performance failures always allow for heightened learning opportunities for the future. Both results will accelerate the development of competency.

In another lifetime, I had a career as an opera singer. This pursuit demanded many long hours of practice in studios, far from public hearing. Skills were developed, mistakes were made, in private, with little risk of embarrassment. But, all the practice would inevitably be tested by performing before the public. This almost always exposed any anxiety or lack of confidence lurking under the surface. The freedom to sing an aria without tension is similar to the freedom to swing a golf club, without tension. Both challenge your freedom to focus on the moment, with clarity, confidence and passion.

Most clubs, men's or women's groups, regional tournament organizers offer innumerable competitions throughout the year, offer scheduled events that will give you a chance to experience the unique challenges of competitive play. Practice hard. Enjoy getting better. True improvement will become more enduring when you submit yourself to the challenges of a competition where you will either win or lose something worth the effort.

Think? Feel? Or Not? Playing Our Best.

The break in the rain only intensified the golfing opportunity that showed up on the course today. Golfers were excited, keyed-up. The rain had stopped. It is time to play, get on the course before the next wave of storm clouds would drive everyone back into the 19th hole lounge.

Dressed in full compliments of rain gear, umbrellas and drying towels in hand, the driving range was full, tee-boxes, fairways and greens were busy with eager players. What was particularly noticeable though, was the general air of hurried excitement and a strange mixture of impatience and aggravation. People weren't playing well and they were not recording typical scores. You could see and hear a surprisingly foul mood around the course. What had happened to all the enthusiasm, all the hopefulness?

Lower scores are predictable with the unusually wet rough, slow greens and the fresh cement-like condition of the bunkers. Indeed, it is understandable that with these conditions, play would be sub-normal and frustrations high. But, why was it affecting peoples' moods so pervasively? What is really the reason for the lower scores - was it the wet conditions or the way players reacted to the wet conditions? Where do emotions fall on to the continuum of cause/effect? Are scores more reflective of playing skills or mental skills?

One of the cornerstones of a foundation of mental skills is this question of causality. Who's in charge? Who's in control? How much do your thoughts, attitudes and emotional reactions effect the quality of your golf swing? How does your attitude determine your playing mood? We're back to the same question - does your play determine your mood or does your mood dictate the quality of your play?

Thankfully, you and I don't have to be neurochemical scientists to understand how this issue plays out throughout a round of golf. But, take a journey back through the last several rounds of golf you have played and ask yourself some simple questions. You'll likely shed some revealing light on the relationship between what you think and feel and how you play;

What expectations do you have for your performance and what is a typical or common reaction to any shortcoming?

How often are you disappointed after starting your round with noticeable optimism?

How do you react when you miss a third short putt in a row?

How often do you try to analyse what went "wrong" with a miss hit before the next shot?

How often do you demean your abilities or skills?

How do you feel after hitting "good" shots?

How do you feel after hitting "bad" shots?

How many holes does it take you to "get over" a shanked shot?

How often when a round starts to spiral out of control, do you play just to "keep things from getting worse?"

What percentage of your swing strategies are focused on "correcting" previous shots?

Have you blamed the grass or the sand or the wind, for your miss hits?

On a scale of 0-10, how much fun do you have when you play a round?

Do you pay attention to your score while you play? And, if so, why? Identify typical thought and feeling reactions to what you see on your scorecard.


You might notice a theme threading through these questions. As you read this blog posting, your utilizing the same mental faculties that you can use to discipline your mind during any sporting event. But, remember, golf is as difficult as it is because you have a lot of time to fall into the trap of thinking while you play. Now, is a perfect time to think, not while standing over the ball out on the course. However, managing your thoughts and using your ability to focus while you play are basic disciplines that require practice.

So, practice your thinking. Feel whatever you feel. It really doesn't matter what you feel, just feel and then, make sure you practice balancing and letting-go of anything that would interfere with your calm, relaxed and refreshed approach to playing your best. And, when you begin to play well, feel excited and proud and hopeful, but remember to let-go of those feelings as well. We perform best when our minds are quiet , our guts are calm and our intent is clearly in focus. Practice that! Every shot!